India has made a significant mark at the Asian Shooting Championship 2025 in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, securing two gold medals in the 10m air rifle events. The nation's shooters have demonstrated exceptional skill and teamwork, dominating both the men's and mixed team categories.
In the 10m air rifle men's team event, Rudrankksh Patil, Arjun Babuta, and Kiran Jadhav combined their efforts to clinch the gold medal. The Indian trio displayed remarkable consistency, accumulating a total score of 1892.5 points. Patil led the team with an impressive score of 632.3, also topping the qualifying round. Babuta contributed 631.6 points and also secured a spot in the individual final. Jadhav narrowly missed the cut for the final, finishing with 628.6 points.
Elavenil Valarivan, a seasoned shooter who has represented India at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics, showcased her individual brilliance by winning gold in the women's 10m air rifle competition. The 26-year-old from Tamil Nadu shot a score of 253.6 in the final, setting a new Asian Championship record. In a thrilling contest, she edged out China's Peng Xinlu (253.0) and Korea's Kwon Eunji (231.2) to claim the top spot. This victory marked Valarivan's second gold in the continental showpiece, her first coming in 2019.
Valarivan continued her impressive performance, partnering with Arjun Babuta to win gold in the 10m air rifle mixed team event. The Indian pair defeated China's Dingke Lu and Xinlu Peng 17-11 in the final. After a shaky start, the Indian duo made a comeback to secure the victory. This was Elavenil's second gold medal at the championship, adding to her individual victory in the 10m air rifle women's event.
Adding to India's success, Shambhavi Shravan and Naraen Pranav won gold in the 10m air rifle mixed team junior event, defeating China 16-12. Ameerah Arshad and Ansh Dabas also secured a gold medal in the 10m air rifle mixed team youth event, beating Korea 16-12.
India's strong showing at the Asian Shooting Championship 2025 demonstrates the country's strength and depth in shooting sports. With a combination of experienced Olympians and talented junior shooters, India is poised to continue its success in future international competitions. As of August 23, 2025, India leads the medal tally with 23 gold, eight silver, and ten bronze medals. China is in second place with nine gold medals.
